In the sprawling, majestic grounds of the Arcane Radiance College, where ancient spires touched the sky and a confluence of diverse knowledge converged, a blue-haired young man with sharp features and an erudite stature walked with a steady gait. He was Victor from the Asteriscus Magus family and one of the core acolytes of this prestigious academy. Yet, despite his seemingly impressive background, his eyes carried a determined focus, his hand subtly clasping a small, significant object around his neck.

  “I hope this will lead me to my goal,” Victor whispered to himself, his fingers tracing the contours of the pointed broken object. This was the fruit of his research since joining the academy—a magic artifact fragment believed to lead to the remnants of a mighty Magus.

  Despite hailing from a long line of Magi, his family only possessed an incomplete high-rank meditation technique, which doomed anyone who practiced it never to advance further than Elemental Adept rank. Of course, there were other paths he could have taken, but they were even less promising.

  The Arcane Radiance College, for example, was known to scout and nurture talented acolytes without background and promised them advancement opportunities. They would be given an Adept’s Ascension Draught to force their breakthrough and a mediocre Bet-tier innate spell in exchange for signing a stringent magic contract under the Primordial One’s shadow, forever becoming slaves of the academy. This was the reason why Victor was so obsessed with finding this ruin that might contain the inheritance of a powerful ancient Magus.

  As he traversed the cobblestone paths lined with enchanting magical flora in a secluded section of the academy, a young female acolyte approached him. Her navy-blue robe, elegantly trimmed with golden lines, fluttered gently around her. She possessed a delicate beauty, with long, dark blue hair flowing gracefully down her back and eyes that sparkled a vivid blue.

  “You’re here, Victor,” she said, approaching him with a measured grace. “Does this mean you’ve accepted my proposal to team up with Graviel and the others?”

  Elara Montana. She was a fellow acolyte of Victor’s age and came from a similar background. Since being accepted here, Victor had constant interactions with her. Three days ago, Victor had asked Elara’s assistance in finding information on the Magus’ inheritance. However, after finding that it was dangerous and beyond their capability, she proposed they join forces along with Victor’s other friends.

  Victor played it cool and responded calmly, “Is an answer really necessary?” In truth, every encounter with Elara stirred an inexplicable feeling in his heart—something he had kept to himself.

  Elara’s lips curled into a slight smile. “We’ll gain more from joining with them. Then, let’s meet with Graviel and the others right away.”

  Graviel and the others had also been looking for ruins to explore too, so they had agreed to meet to discuss joining hands to explore this ruin. Thus, they headed to the rendezvous location.

  Upon arriving, Victor sensed mana fluctuations from the three figures who approached. The trio halted near them. The apparent leader was a handsome, red-haired young man who exuded a regal calmness, his acolyte robe more ornate than most. The other two were less remarkable. One was a large, broad-shouldered man, standing half a head taller than Victor. His face contained a simple and honest expression. The third member was leaner, with a crooked look. Each equally radiated a faint aura of magic tools on their body, yet they all seemed deferential to the central figure.

  Victor was actually familiar with this trio, as he had gone on some missions along with them and Elara. One had a notable standing, and the individual was Graviel Merlin, a scion of one of the most prestigious Magus families supporting the academy. Rumors abounded that a peak Nexus Temporal Magus served as the family’s patron, lending it considerable influence and power.

  The other two were Jared and Dorian, both hailing from backgrounds that were on par with his own. But as far as Victor was concerned, their Oscar family was likely to be a vassal of the Merlin family. He trusted them because Graviel had been a man of his words all this time working together, and since he had no other choice, he decided that this was the best course of action.

  “Victor, Mister Graviel is willing to help you obtain the inheritance. With the backing of the Merlin family, this will be easy.” Much to Victor’s annoyance, Elara put emphasis on Graviel’s formal title and the renowned family name.

  She continued, “Also, Dorian and Jared are also here to help. With their assistance, we can definitely do this, just like the old times.”

  “Victor, Elara, I understand your situation. Exploring a remnant of an official Magus is dangerous. It’s a task that demands unity; only together can we muster the strength to navigate it. And even with combined forces, it remains a risky endeavor for acolytes like ourselves,” Graviel slowly explained. “Rest assured, since you’re the one who initiated this, we’ve agreed to give you double the portion of any treasures we unearth there.”

  Victor considered this offer as he took some time to think it over. After a moment of silence, he nodded. “Mm. As we have many instances of joining hands, I can trust you. But you three have to thank Elara for suggesting you three to join us.”

  Jared, the one with the crooked face, bristled at Victor’s words. “You’re just someone from a medium-sized Magus family. You should be grateful that we’re willing to he—”

  “Shut your trap, Jared!” Graviel interjected sharply, silencing him. “He has the key to unlocking the vault of a mysterious Magus organization from the Ancient Era—the Steelrose Order.”

  How does he know that? Victor’s eyes narrowed in caution; he’d never revealed the specific nature of the ruins linked to his artifact. Elara only knew of its connection to a remnant of an official Magus by chance. This meant they had prior knowledge about the ruins and had been seeking a way in. Victor was not the only one searching for it!

  “If you know this much, then how can I be certain that you will keep your word?” Victor asked, choosing his words carefully. Although their cooperation had gone a long way, the inheritance was too valuable to simply trust their cooperation at face value.

  Graviel responded with a cool pragmatism. “Trust is secondary here. You’re not the only one wanting to obtain the inheritance. If you refuse to join, you can sell the key to me, and I’ll be sure to compensate you fairly. But I understand your concern, so we have prepared a magic contract to act as a guarantee so that we won’t attack each other if you do agree to join hands.”

  “Victor, I have signed the contract and found nothing wrong with it. So, you should too,” Elara advised with an earnest tone. To convince him further, she added, “They also possess information that we don’t, including the precise location and details about the ruin.”

  Piqued by her words, Victor nodded for her to continue.

  Elara leaned in, her voice dropping to a hushed tone. “The ruin lies within the Thornwood Forest. It’s said to be a pocket dimension, inaccessible to most. But you, Victor—you possess the key to it.”

  Victor’s mind raced. The key that she and Graviel referred to was obviously the artifact fragment—it was an ancient, incomplete relic whose true purpose had still been a mystery to him since the day he found it. He only knew that if he channeled some of his infused mana into it, a map would appear to show him a location, and he had been in the mind to explore it on his own.

  Graviel, smiling, questioned, “So, what’s your decision? I won’t force you into anything.”

  “Alright, let’s team up! But you better keep your word!” Victor said reluctantly, but different thoughts swirled in his mind. Since things were turning out this way, he should just make the most out of it.

  “Good choice; that’s my friend for you.” Graviel removed a magic contract from his sleeve and presented it to Victor. “Sign this, then.”

  Victor narrowed his eyes. The contract he used, in particular, was the same one that was commonly used by the academy to contract official Magi. It would be nearly impossible to break without resorting to extreme methods. If he was willing to use such a precious magic contract, then it meant that Graviel wasn’t going to go against his words.

  “Victor, we all have signed the same contract,” explained Dorian.

  “Don’t worry. I have made sure that the content of the contract is fair, and this will become a failsafe so that none of us divulge this matter to a third party. And of course, to prevent betrayal,” explained Graviel.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “All right, I’ll sign it.” Victor read through the contract, finding nothing amiss, and signed it with his infused mana. Then, the contract suddenly flew into the air and disappeared into small particles that landed on his and Graviel’s bodies. Truly peculiar.

  “From this moment, we’re closer than friends!” Graviel declared, a flash of satisfaction in his eyes as he clapped a hand on Victor’s shoulder.

  For Victor, solitude had always been his preference. His interactions with others were always limited, merely focused on trade, business, or joint missions with them, as he was often too absorbed in his research. Despite their past histories, he didn’t believe them completely, but if this was the only choice left, then he would bite the bullet if it meant accomplishing his goal.

  ***

  Before them lay the Thornwood Forest, a sprawling expanse of darkness that held many secrets. The journey from Arcane Radiance College to this enigmatic forest had been long and arduous, even on horseback, spanning over half a month to traverse the northwest route. Luckily, they were all third-stage Initiate Attunement acolytes. Otherwise, it would have taken much longer.

  The Kingdom of Luminos was vast and encompassed many different terrains and regions—from the boundless deserts in the east to the dense forests and swamps in the west, the towering mountain ranges in the north bordering other kingdoms, and the treacherous, magical beast-infested southern seas. Countless territories lay in between, and traveling from one end to the other could easily consume two months, even with relentless horseback travel.

  Unless they had ascended to become an official Magus and consequently learned to use flight magic, it meant that their travel time couldn’t be shortened. On foot, despite the aid of spells, their pace would not surpass that of their horses.

  Elara broke the silence, her eyes scanning the forest. “The entrance is said to be in a deep chasm somewhere in this forest,” she stated.

  “Let’s go. We don’t want to waste more time dilly-dallying.” Graviel gestured for them to proceed and follow his lead; he had a magic tool on him to ward off any hostile creatures.

  Over the half-month-long journey, Victor had become even more familiar with them. While he had gone on missions together with them, it was never this long. Furthermore, he had developed a sort of rapport with Graviel and Dorian. Graviel, though arrogant, proved manageable with the right approach, mainly when his family’s prestige was acknowledged. Dorian, for his part, appeared to be an honest guy—at least, Victor found it challenging to detect any hint of deceit. As for Jared, he mostly ignored Victor.

  As they ventured deeper into the forest, the surroundings became increasingly ominous. The air was heavy with an uncanny aura. Towering trees loomed overhead, their branches weaving together in a protective embrace, as though safeguarding the forest’s age-old secrets.

  In Victor’s grasp, the artifact fragment began to emit a subtle, ethereal glow. He was getting closer and closer to the heart of the Ancient Era’s ruins. A bygone era before the fall of the ancient Magus civilization—the zenith of the magic civilization, a time when the powers of the Magus were at their pinnacle.

  ***

  For two arduous days, they had been searching for the chasm that Elara had spoken of. After searching through the forest and evading countless supernatural phenomena and aggressive magical beasts, they finally found it—a deep, ominous giant hole in the ground that appeared to consume all light.

  Graviel turned to Victor. “Victor, it’s time.”

  With a determined nod, Victor brought out the artifact fragment. The team watched intently as he held it aloft. The air around them began to vibrate, and a faint, ethereal glow emanated from the chasm’s depths. Intricate runes materialized, hovering in the air, aligning perfectly with the markings on Victor’s fragment. Miraculously, a pathway of shimmering light formed, revealing the way forward.

  “There it is…” Victor’s heart thumped in anticipation, for the objective of his long search lay just ahead—

  Bang!

  In a sudden flash, a dark purple intangible python struck Victor with ferocious speed and shattered the force field coming out from the magic tool under his robe, its fangs sinking into his stomach. The force of the impact sent him reeling back, and his body wracked with excruciating pain. Blood spilled from his lips as he dropped the artifact fragment.

  It was a high-grade magic tool, and it failed to withstand the power of this spell… Victor recognized it instantly. It was a sinister, forbidden spell—{Demonic Python}—known for causing the victim a slow but certain death. Such a spell could only be cast by an official Magus, yet none in their group had achieved such a rank. Confusion and betrayal were at the forefront of Victor’s mind as he turned to see Graviel holding a magic scroll and wearing a contemptuous sneer; it was all a fa?ade!

  “Wh-Why?” Victor coughed. “WHY?!” He almost couldn’t believe it. The defensive magic tool had barely saved him, activating in the nick of time to absorb the brunt of the attack. Had it not, he would have met a swift and certain end!

  “Your role here is done,” uttered Graviel coldly as he and the others closed in on Victor.

  “You too, Elara…?” Victor hadn’t trusted them from the start, except for her.

  “I’m sorry, Victor. I had no choice.” Elara smiled with a mix of regret and resolve. Her eyes may have flickered with a hint of sorrow, yet her stance remained unwavering.

  Realization dawned on Victor; they had all conspired against him. Victor gritted his teeth, not only because of the pain from the venomous bite and his wounded stomach but also from the naivety that he had displayed here.

  Glancing around, he saw no escape routes. Surrounded by four acolytes of equal strength, his situation was dire. He had initially thought that even if his comrades planned to betray him, they would’ve waited until they entered the pocket dimension. Not here, not this soon. After all, he may have been able to do something if it was inside there…

  He sure had underestimated their deceit.

  “Hah! Did you really think you’d get two parts of the share? Keep dreaming.” Jared mocked, sneering at him. “I’ve been holding up this charade the whole time. If not for lulling you into lowering your guard, I would have killed you days ago!”

  “We only need you to play your part and, of course, to get this artifact fragment.” Dorian stepped forward, holding Victor’s dropped artifact fragment, and handed it to Graviel, who then took out a similar piece. “You think you’re the only one with the artifact fragment? With these two, we’ll gain greater control over the pocket dimension. Naturally, this pocket dimension is still too dangerous for us to go in as is, so we’ll have to call for reinforcement.”

  No wonder they had decided to betray him this soon—he had another piece with him!

  “Y-You… Don’t you fear the backlash from the magic contract?! Or retaliation from my family and the academy?!”

  “Fool!” Jared laughed at him. “This is far from the academy and even farther from your family’s territory. Besides, the Merlin family can easily wipe out a small Magus family of yours. Plus, do you really believe Sir Graviel didn’t put a backdoor on that contract?”

  Hearing that, Victor’s heart sank. The contract was the last shred of hope in this situation.

  “Just give up, Victor.” Dorian’s voice was devoid of emotion. “At least your death will be quicker that way. You shouldn’t have sought what’s beyond your reach.”

  Graviel’s smirk widened. “Let me show you one last spectacle.” He infused his infused mana toward the two artifact fragments and combined them. The result, while still incomplete and fractured, was now a marginally usable magic artifact. Its full potential remained a mystery, but its immediate use was apparent in Graviel’s ambitious eyes.

  “Your time’s up, Victor. Now’s time for you to die.” Graviel steadied himself with a cold, merciless gaze, preparing to cast a spell that would deliver the final blow… Or so he intended.

  “—NO!!” In a desperate move, Victor reached into his robe and retrieved a hidden vial. With a swift motion, he shattered it on the ground, releasing a blinding cloud of smoke. This was his last resort—a potion he had explicitly procured for this expedition, for this exact situation. Amidst the chaos, he forced himself to his feet and dashed towards the shimmering pathway above the chasm’s edge with his remaining power. Casting {Zephyr Dash}, he surged forward with enhanced speed, evading their grasp.

  “Shit! Stop him!” Someone’s shout echoed through the smoke, likely to be Graviel’s, but it was too late.

  Victor was mere steps away from the portal to the pocket dimension. It flickered erratically, however, as it was still unstable due to his earlier interruption. Crossing it was a huge gamble; he could end up anywhere in the forest if he were lucky or, in the worst case, lost in the void. Yet, he had no other choice, as it was his only escape.

  So, with no time to hesitate, Victor chose to jump in, bracing for whatever fate awaited him on the other side…

  ***

  “That fucker!” Jared viciously kicked a pebble into the yawning depths of the chasm. The remnants of the blinding smoke still irritated his eyes, fueling his anger.

  “Do you think he’ll survive that forbidden spell?!” Elara chimed in, her eyebrows drawing together.

  Graviel responded with dismissive certainty. “No one, not even an Elemental Adept rank Magus, can withstand a direct hit from that spell. Only a high-rank Alchemist capable of creating specific antidotes, or a Magus of significant power, could counteract its effects.”

  “The poison works insidiously, slowly draining life force before culminating in a torturous death. He will die in the most gruesome way,” Dorian elaborated grimly.

  “So, he’s going to die for certain?” Elara probed further in a low tone.

  Graviel cast a sharp glance at her, his brow furrowing. “Why? Are you concerned about him?” The idea didn't sit well with him, considering he saw Elara as his woman.

  “No! I’m not worried about him, but for our plan,” Elara quickly corrected. “We don’t know where he’s gone. It could complicate things if he somehow ends up in the pocket dimension.”

  “Impossible. I interrupted him just before the portal completely materialized.” Graviel dismissed her concerns with a shake of his head.

  “He’s probably dead now, torn apart by magical beasts or lost somewhere in the void.” Jared gloated at the thought.

  Graviel shifted focus back to their mission. “Anyway, his well-being is none of our concern. We must go back as soon as possible and prepare for a thorough exploration. I’ve already sent my family a message through a special magic tool to request reinforcements of Ki-warriors; we’ll need cannon fodder to make a path for us. Remember, tell your families only what they need to know—we’ve discovered an ordinary Magus’s remnant and require assistance, nothing more. Understood?”

  “Yes!” Jared and Dorian responded in unison. Elara gave her agreement by simply nodding her head.

  With their plan set, they left the forest and swiftly returned to the village to pack up their stuff. The group planned to amass a force and return to claim whatever secrets and inheritance lay hidden within the ruins of the pocket dimension.

  Great News!

  Patreon Advanced Chapters has been increased!

  Elemental Adept Magus tier offers 23 advanced chapters while the Acolyte tier offers 8 advanced chapters!

  !